Jose Ibarra was sentenced to two life sentences plus 49 years.
After a trial lasting just four days, Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national and member of the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang in the United States illegally, was convicted by a Georgia judge of the murder of college student Lake Riley.
Ibarra was found guilty on ten counts, including malice murder, three counts of felony murder, and one count of aggravated assault with the intent to rape. Ibarra attacked Riley on the morning of February 22 while she jogged in wooded trails near the campus of the University of Georgia, where Riley was studying nursing. Riley was killed after Ibarra repeatedly bashed a rock against Riley’s head.
Before Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without parole, friends and family of Laken Riley spoke to the court via victim impact statements. Riley’s stepfather read her final journal entry, a letter to her “future husband”, memorializing her efforts to become “the best wife [she] could be” through her Christian faith.
Riley’s younger sister Lauren spoke to the court about how difficult it will be to not have her “favorite person” and “biggest role model” in her life while the girls’ mother Allyson said there’s “no end to the pain, suffering and loss we have experienced and will continue to endure” with the loss of Laken.
During the trial, the prosecution detailed Riley’s final communication with her mother via text message and a series of unanswered phone calls as Ibarra’s attack had apparently already begun.
Judge Patrick Haggard took only 19 minutes to deliberate before handing down his verdict while Riley’s family cried as Haggard read the verdict aloud.
Public response to the conviction and sentencing was wide ranging, with President-elect Trump weighing in on X, saying “We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”
Ibarra sat motionless, having no reaction as he listened to the verdict and sentencing through a translator.
Riley’s murder captured the attention of the nation as her death at the hands of an illegal immigrant became a flashpoint during the 2024 presidential election, during which polling showed a majority of Americans supported “mass deportation” of those in the United States illegally.
